“Best thing that ever happened to me”: Jennifer Lopez opens up about her divorce from Ben Affleck

It might be a surprise, but for Jennifer Lopez, the collapse of her affair with Ben Affleck was not only heartbreaking it turned out to be one of the most defining phases of her life. Speaking in an interview recently, she recalled how the collapse, the fear, and the desperation helped her grow into a human she never knew she had to become.

She referred to the January 2025 split-up, which was concluded as a divorce, as "the best thing that ever happened to me" not because it was simple, but because it transformed her. She had clarity in grief. Through loss, she encountered a self she had been escaping from.

Jennifer Lopez opens up on divorce

Those were her words when expressed during an interview on CBS News Sunday Morning in late September 2025. Jennifer Lopez discussed how the break-up taught her to learn, become conscious, and redefine what happiness would mean to her. She discussed how even if working on her film Kiss of the Spider Woman was some sort of sanctuary in the midst of that storm, coming home was more challenging. She was struggling with jolting emotions offstage even when she was complete and alive on it.

Post-interview buzz was instantaneous. Fans and media were alike talking about how close to home it is to hear someone speak so openly about learning to love again the learning that one does through heartbreak. It wasn't sentimentality it was her vulnerability, her honesty. And that led into the conversation of resilience, loving oneself, and that some endings are truly beginnings.

So what actually happened, and who are they: Jennifer Lopez and Affleck had a much-publicized history. The two dated originally back in the early 2000s, subsequently broke up, and reunited some time in 2021, married in 2022. But by August of 2024 she'd already filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences. The breakup, though painful, was formalized a few months later. While Lopez canceled a tour, struggled with media rumors, and ended her romance in the public eye while trying to remain grounded.

Trending

Despite all that, she insists there is no bitterness. She credits Affleck with supporting Kiss of the Spider Woman, a movie she insists was near and dear to her heart. She refers to summer 2025 as being one of the happiest periods in her life. Not perfect, but lighter. More joyful. More herself.

Jennifer Lopez's thoughts on her divorce reflect something that many of us find it hard to accept: that it is okay and even necessary at times to find worth in something that hurts us. The break-up did not shape her; it reshaped her. She discovered order from disorder, courage through vulnerability, and fresh happiness within herself. To Lopez, that divorce was not an end but a start.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback